Review Gives Oregon Teacher Preparation Programs Bad Marks

This second annual report from the National Council on Teacher Quality looks at 2400 teacher prep programs across the country, including 15 programs in Oregon.

None of the report’s 100-or-so “high quality programs” is in Oregon.

Council president, Kate Walsh, notes that elementary programs are especially poor. She says graduates of Oregon teaching programs aren’t set up well to teach young students to read.

“They certainly should know the research, and they certainly should know what is good reading instruction, and what is bad reading instruction. And they’re not getting any of that in most of the programs in Oregon - or most places,” Walsh says.

The council bases its findings on course listings, textbook choices, state rules, and other written material, often provided by faculty or students, rather than the institutions, themselves.

A University of Oregon statement says the study ignores updates from six years ago. Lewis and Clark College says it “contradicts considerable evidence from other sources,” like accrediting authorities.